If you’re a geek like me, you’d probably spend several good seconds (or minutes) admiring the map at the start of many high fantasy novels. I just love the illustrations on these maps.

Here are just some of them:

Map of Edil-Amarandh, from Alison Croggon’s Books of PellinorMap of the Grisha world, from Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone (Grisha Trilogy)Map of Middle Earth, from JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy

They are so pleasing to the eyes!! These maps spark so much wanderlust in me and I just want to jump into these worlds physically, if only I could.

Truth is, I don’t even refer to them while reading because I’m too into the story to bother, but I think these maps just add so much more character into the world and makes it even more real.

I love how Fantasy writers put in so much effort into details like these – where the mountains and hills are, the size of each place, the distance between each place – and when they make all these details matter by linking it to the background or history of their world. It’s another reason why I respect fantasy writers so much; they dedicate so many years to create an original fantasy world!

Do you have a favourite fantasy world map? Share it with us in the comments below!

There’s been a whole lot of rave over Jandy Nelson’s two YA Contemporary books, I’ll Give You the Sun and The Sky is Everywhere. I finally read both of them, one after another, so here’s what I think about these books!

I won’t do separate reviews for them, but rather a comparison because I liked one over the other much more, and I don’t think I have much to say about them separately. But first, a brief summary of each of the books..

I’ll Give You the Sun is about twins who used to be very close, despite them being very different, until a whole series of events happens that causes a falling out. The book has alternating POVs between the twins Noah and Jude, of which Noah’s POV is from when they were 13, and Jude’s when they are 16.

The Sky is Everywhere is about Lennie as she struggles to get over the death of her older sister, and along the way she finds herself in between two boys, one of them a new kid in school, the other her sister’s boyfriend.

In both books, Nelson adopts a casual and slightly humourous way of writing, like what you’d expect if you were listening to the thoughts of a teenager, except more coherent. Basically, the writing style is like most other YA Contemporary novels out there (except with a tinge of peculiarity because her characters are rather strange). I don’t think there’s much special about her writing style; it’s more of the plot and characters that makes her stories unique. If you want to try one of Nelson’s books, I’d recommend I’ll Give You the Sun over The Sky is Everywhere. Here’s why:

What I found most distinguishing about both books was that the characters are very idiosyncratic. In I’ll Give You the Sun, Noah is the nerdy artist who is so passionate about art that he even paints in his head, and Jude is the highly superstitious girl whose only friend is her grandma’s ghost. Together, they talk about things like dividing the world (sun, moon, ocean, flowers, trees etc) among themselves. In The Sky is Everywhere, Lennie writes poems on every surface possible and hides them everywhere, and she has an obsession with Wuthering Heights. I loved that Nelson added these bits of weird-but-somewhat-cool-ness into both stories, making her characters come to life.

However, while I felt that Noah & Jude’s idiosyncrasies were an essential part of the story in I’ll Give You the Sun, Lennie’s poem and Wuthering Heights obsession thing in The Sky is Everywhere felt superfluous and wasn’t tied in as seamlessly with the rest of the story. As such, I didn’t feel as attached to Lennie as I did Noah and Jude.

Additionally, I’ll Give You the Sun had an actual plot with a lot of things happening. Whereas in The Sky is Everywhere, not much was really happening and I felt like I was just waiting for Lennie to finally screw up and learn her lesson so that the book could move on.

Considering the four-year gap between the publishing of both books, Nelson’s writing has undoubtedly improved since her debut The Sky is Everywhere. So while The Sky is Everywhere was just okay (3 stars) to me, I did enjoy I’ll Give You the Sun (4 star read) a lot more and it’s one I would recommend.

Have you read any of Jandy Nelson’s books? How did you find them? If you’ve read both of these books, do you agree with my preference? 🙂

A picture of the sunset I caught on the way home from school one day…Stunning sunset at the Docklands in Melbourne!

Okay, I’m pretty sure everyone in the world is aware that there is a star really close to the Earth that we call the Sun, and that it keeps the Earth warm and lighted up in the day. Sun Awareness Week is a rather misleading term because it isn’t just about being aware of the sun. It’s about being aware of how harmful the sun’s UV rays can be.

Sure, we often talk about how being out in the sun is good because of Vitamin D and its benefits. But prolonged exposure to UV radiation can have extremely debilitative effects, beyond just sunburn and premature skin ageing. If serious, it can also cause sunburn and cataracts.

According to WHO estimates, 20% of the annual 12 to 15 million people who become blind from cataracts may be caused or enhanced by sun exposure.

An estimated 66,000 deaths occur annually from melanoma and other skin cancers.

Ongoing studies also suggest that UV exposure can suppress immune system responses, making us more prone to infectious diseases and limiting the efficacy of vaccinations.

These problems are increasingly worsened due to the depletion of the ozone layer.

We often think that dark-skinned people do not need to be concerned about these risks, but while it is true that darker skin has more melanin and hence a lower chance of skin cancer, the risk is still there. In fact, not only does skin cancer also affect darker skinned people, it is also often only detected at later, more dangerous stages.

Protect your eyes with proper sunglasses! Don’t buy cheap imitations or low quality sunglasses. While they allow you to see into the sun without squinting, they are pretty much useless in blocking UV radiation. This makes things even worse than having no sunglasses because without squinting, your eye is exposed to even more UV radiation!

Hope everyone will spread the message about the harms of UV radiation and encourage your family and friends to step up their sun protection!

Back then, I had an English tutor whom I often bonded with over books, and the tuition centre had a mini library which we would all visit at the end of every lesson. It was my tutor who recommended The Gift to me; without her I would probably never have endeavoured to read such a thick book back then. (Side note: this tutor was also the one who first introduced Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club and James Patterson’s Maximum Ride to me… if not for her, I wouldn’t have discovered so many of my favourite books!)

Needless to say, I loved The Gift and every book in the Books of Pellinor series. But it wasn’t until 3 or 4 years later when something inexplicable compelled me to read the series again, and this time with better linguistic ability I found I appreciated the book even more. With her beautiful writing and detailed appendices, Croggon created a world so real, to the point where I actually believed that the events were true and that magic used to exist. (Sadly, that was short-lived because I did intensive research on Google and found out that it was foolish thinking on my part… haha.)

Nevertheless, I fell in love with the art of creating a fantasy world that clearly doesn’t exist, but feels so real that it could be plausible. The wit, ingenuity and planning needed to create such a world eluded me and I so admired the authors who were able to do so. And that’s how I came to love and appreciate high fantasy. Now, I have a long list of other reasons why I love high fantasy, but this was the very first reason that set everything in motion.

Although I’m aware there are many other high fantasy books with more original plotlines and more unique magic systems than Croggon’s books, the Books of Pellinor will always, always be my number one high fantasy series and will always retain its special place in my heart, much like a first love.

As mentioned before, I’m starting on a series of biweekly posts on my serendipitous discoveries (e.g. poems, songs, movies) I found from reading.

This week, I have a poem from Amy Harmon’s book Making Faces (more about the book at the bottom of the post):

If God Makes All Our Faces

If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?
Does he make the legs that cannot walk and the eyes that cannot see?
Does he curl the hair upon my head ’til it rebels in wild defiance?
Does he close the ears of the deaf man to make him more reliant?
Is the way I look a coincidence or just a twist of fate?
If he made me this way, is it okay, to blame him for the things I hate?
For the flaws that seem to worsen every time I see a mirror,
For the ugliness I see in me, the loathing and the fear,
Does he sculpt us for his pleasure, for a reason I can’t see?
If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?

Amy Harmon

This is an exceptionally woeful poem from a self-conscious girl who finds herself flawed and inferior to others. I love this poem not because of the meaning behind it (for it is a very sad poem), but because of its poignancy and how clearly it conveys the bitterness and distress that the writer is feeling.

We all have that part of ourselves we sometimes loathe and want gone (or at the least, hidden)… but, well, here’s a quote from the same book that I think is important to keep in mind whenever we are reminded of that “ugly” part of us:

True beauty, the kind that doesn’t fade or wash off, takes time. It takes pressure. It takes incredible endurance. It is the slow drip that makes the stalactite, the shaking of the Earth that creates mountains, the constant pounding of the waves that breaks up the rocks and smooths the rough edges.

And from the violence, the furor, the raging of the winds, the roaring of the waters, something better emerges, something that would otherwise never exist.

And so we endure. We have faith that there is purpose. We hope for the things we can’t see. We believe that there are lessons in loss, power in love, and that we have within us the potential for a beauty for magnificent that our bodies can’t contain it.

More about the book:

It’s been a while since I read Making Faces so I honestly can’t say much, except that this is a powerful and insightful book that has taught me a lot about beauty, love, loss, and self-acceptance.

Although this book was not my favourite of Harmon’s, I still highly recommend it. Harmon’s writing here is, as always, poignant and bittersweet, and I don’t think you can ever find another book similar to this.

Well it’s nearing the end of April, and I’m looking out for quite a number of new releases this May, so I thought I’d share them here with everyone 🙂

(Side note: I can’t believe it’s going to be May already?!)

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Expected Release Date: 2 May 2017

This is the third installment to A Court of Thorns and Roses, and I’m dying to know what’s going to happen next, as well as craving more time with the amazing cast of characters that Sarah J Maas has brought to life. Already, I’ve read the second book A Court of Mist and Fury at least 3 times, and I’m pretty certain this upcoming book will blow my mind!

[7 June 2017 EDIT: it did not blow my mind 😔]

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Expected Release Date: 2 May 2017

This is also the third book in a series, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. But I’m a little more apprehensive about this release, because while the first book was amazing, the second was slightly underwhelming and I do kind of feel that this series is dragging out longer than necessary. I just have to hold on to the hope that this book is going to redeem the series rather than spoil it!

A new fantasy series from the author of The Wrath & The Dawn! I’ve heard many good things about The Wrath & The Dawn, but unfortunately haven’t gotten to it yet. But the synopsis of Flame in the Mist sounds even more appealing to me and what’s more, it’s a Mulan retelling! In addition to a lot of action & romance & awesome characters, I’m hoping to see pieces of Japanese culture weaved into the story, as I’m a quite fan of cultural stuff heh.

This sounds like a really cute YA rom-com with a unique premise (Indian culture!). Light, fluffy romance novels are my go-to whenever I’m in a book slum, and they’re my favourite kinds of book to read over and over again. Really hoping this becomes a new addition in my list of favourite books to re-read!

Words cannot express how much I adore Lang Leav’s way with words in her poetry, and I’ve been anticipating Sad Girls, her debut novel, since the very first mention of it on her social media. I look forward to having my heart wrenched out by her tragically (in the best way) beautiful writing!

Are any of you looking forward to these same releases?

What other books are you anticipating or intending to read this May? 🙂

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme originally created by Lainey, and now hosted by Sam. You can read more about it on the Goodreads page. This week’s topic is on the top 5 authors I want to read more from!

1. Alison Croggon

Alison Croggon wrote my favourite fantasy series, theBooks of Pellinor(which I shall do a review of soon). So obviously, I’m going to want to read more of her novels.

As a poet, Croggon has great linguistic skills and this is definitely shown in the Books of Pellinor where there are beautiful but verbose paragraphs about the landscape and scenery in her fantasy world. Unfortunately, this is also a reason why many people dislike her writing, finding it too wordy or slow-paced. So she has the kind of writing which you either love or hate (and clearly I love it).

Croggon also wrote Black Spring, a fantasy retelling of Wuthering Heights. It only has an average rating of 3.28 on Goodreads, but that’s not going to put me off from Croggon.

2. Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson is perhaps most known for his Mistborn trilogy, but he also has a ton of other fantasy books that deserve reading. I’ve read the Mistborn trilogy and love it, and I think he’s one of the most ingenious authors I’ve encountered. His plot twists are never predictable, and almost always unthinkable. No doubts to why I’d want to read more from him.

3. Sarah J. Maas

It’s true that Sarah J. Maas is predictable and writes slightly cliched stories, and it’s not like her stories and plotlines are flawless, or that she has a unique writing style. Still, there is a good reason why her books are so popular: she knows her target audience, and she knows what they want. Simply put, if you like YA, fantasy, and/or romance, then you’re bound to like her books.

Maas is always keeping me on my toes looking out for the next book of hers and I’m seriously hoping she continues writing more even after her two ongoing series, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Throne of Glass, are complete.

Tan’s writing focuses a lot on the relationships between characters and on finding hope amidst despair. She uses plain, everyday words to convey profound meanings. Her books are my go-to if I want to read something meaningful and deep.

5. Sophie Kinsella

Chick-lit is like my dessert of books. Also known as, the kind of book I’m always secretly craving to read, and the kind of book I would not hesitate to wolf down when presented in front of me. And Sophie Kinsella is undoubtedly the ULTIMATE Chick-lit author. Okay, truthfully, I haven’t read much chick-lit other than Kinsella. But that’s how good Kinsella is: I don’t even want to bother reading other chick-lit when I haven’t even read all of Kinsella yet.

So that’s the top 5 authors I want to read more from! There were other authors I thought of as well, but decided to leave out so I could make this list a little more diverse.

Have you or are you planning to read from any of these authors? How do you find them?